This is episode 6 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.
Sean McCallum is a crisis intervention and trauma consultant, and a watch manager in the UK fire service where he's served for 23 years. In this episode, Sean shares his view on why some experiences are traumatic for some individuals but not others, what might cause flashbacks and rumination, and how sleep - or lack there of - can shape how we process trauma.
Sean is not a clinician. His perspective comes from a person-centred metapsychological approach.
Connect with Kaigan Carrie
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
This is episode 5 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.
Lea Vaughan was a Hazardous Area Response Team paramedic and one of only three medics to treat victims inside the arena during the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 - the largest casualty she'd ever faced. In this episode, Lea reflects on the night of the attack and the lasting psychological impact. She speaks about the lack of support she received afterwards and the unexpected public backlash she faced, including death threats, as a visible face of the ambulance service.
Connect with Kaigan Carrie
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
This is episode 4 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.
Craig Wylde became a prison officer in 2006. Just four years later, at the age of 28, he was stabbed by a prisoner and left with life-changing injuries that forced his medical retirement. In this episode, Craig speaks about the attack and the long, painful process of coming to terms with a new reality. He speaks about the mental toll of the trauma and how, at his lowest point, he contemplated taking his own life.
Connect with Kaigan Carrie
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
This is episode 3 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.
Philip Ingram MBE joined the British Army in 1984 and served until 2010, leaving as a colonel. In this episode, he reflects on several difficult moments during his career, particularly his time during the Iraq war in Basra. He speaks about the trauma of losing a close friend, of having to read autopsy reports of soldiers who died, and witnessing distressing images of a helicopter being shot down. He shares the ways in which his mental health was impacted, to the point he carried a suicide kit around with him for years.
Connect with Kaigan Carrie
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
This is episode 2 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.
Wayne Campbell joined the police service in Northern Ireland in 2004 and spent much of his career as a detective, including overseeing the family liaison response for some of the country’s most devastating incidents - from homicides and fatal road accidents to mass casualty events. In this episode, Wayne tells us about two of the most defining and harrowing experiences of his career: being attacked by a loyalist terrorist group, and flying to America to tell a mother that her daughter had taken her own life after being targeted online by a man later convicted of child sexual abuse offences.
Connect with Kaigan Carrie
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
This is episode 1 of a special 6-part series exploring the mental toll frontline professionals carry as they do vital work to protect all of us.
James Bull has been a firefighter for 25 years. In 2017, he made the brave decision to speak publicly about his experience of PTSD - a step that led to a three-year journey with a documentary film crew, capturing the mental health realities of the emergency services. In this episode, James tell us about two of the most psychologically difficult incidents of his career: a fatal road accident where he feared one of the casualties was his brother, and attending an incident that involved his own mum’s death. He reflects on how the job has shaped and changed him, and what it’s like to carry the toll of this job with him.
Connect with Kaigan Carrie
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Ray and Vi Donovan's son, Chris, was murdered in 2001. They made the extraordinary decision to meet all three of his killers through restorative justice. They tell us about the heartbreak of losing Chris, navigating the justice system and how it felt meeting each of the three boys responsible.
Explore the work Ray and Vi are doing through the Chris Donovan Trust.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
This is the 100th episode of the podcast! Thank you for listening and supporting these conversations.
Sarah Ellis is a barrister and forensic criminologist with a particular interest and specialism in coercive control, stalking and homicide. She explains the concept of the homicide timeline and how coercive control can escalate over time. Why is coercive control still so often misunderstood or overlooked? What needs to change in the way we intervene? And why do perpetrators of coercive control rarely change?
Learn more about the homicide timeline here.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Rob McKeon has sat on the parole board in England & Wales since 2012. He's reviewed the cases of over 5,000 prisoners, making decisions on whether they are ready to be released, including those convicted of murder, serious violence and sexual offences. We discuss the biggest signs that a prisoner might be ready to re-enter society, how some prisoners try to sabotage each other’s chances of release, and the emotional weight of making decisions that can change lives forever.
You can purchase a copy of Rob's book, Parole, here.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Will Potter is an award winning investigative journalist and author. He delivered a Ted talk about secret prisons in America which received millions of views. We chat about these prisons, called communication management units, how Will was able to enter one and the psychological toll that his work as a journalist has taken on him.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Dr Shahed Yousaf is a GP who works in prison and with the homeless community in England. How is healthcare adapted to reach those without a fixed address? How does he navigate working with imprisoned patients who'd be better served in a mental health facility? What are some of the most surprising things he's seen in prison? And what personal toll has prison work taken on him?
You can buy a copy of Dr Yousaf's book, Stitched Up, here.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Paul Cosgrove is a former investment banker who later became a prison officer. He tells us about his experiences working with prisoners convicted of financial crimes, the attitude some of these individuals had towards their crimes, some of the most challenging things Paul has had to deal with and how transitioning from investment banking to prison work changed his views on materialism and success.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Recorded live, this episode features two prison officers who have worked in one of the UK's first community custody units for women. They share their experiences of transitioning from a male high-security prison in Scotland to working in a facility built on the belief that women should be imprisoned in more trauma-informed, community-like conditions. We speak about the contrasts between working in these vastly different establishments, their views on staff corruption, some of the difficult things they've both had to deal with, and how the job has changed them.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Ian West served 35 years in the prison service in England, working in ten prisons and governing four. He tells us about the special secure unit of HMP Belmarsh where he worked with some of the highest-risk prisoners in the country, the difficulties of changing the thinking of some elderly prisoners and what it was like to govern a prison through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Dr Rebecca Myers was a forensic and prison psychologist in England treating prisoners who had committed sexual offences. She is also the author of the book, Inside Job. Of the individuals in society who admit to being sexually attracted to children, why do some people give in to those sexual compulsions when so many others don't? How does she measure success in this line of work? And how does working with people convicted of sexual offences impact staff?
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Craig Gottschalk was a wildlife biologist who went on to work in prisons for 12 years, first as a prison officer and finally as assistant director. He is now assistant ombudsman, investigating complaints from people in prison. Craig shares the signs to look out for before somebody becomes violent, taught to him from his days as a biologist. He tells us about an encounter with a former prisoner who threatened to kill Craig and his family, and how a chance meeting in a grocery store showed Craig that he was literally saving lives in prison.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Email me: evolvingprisons@outlook.com
Luke Mitchell is serving a prison sentence in Scotland for the murder of Jodi Jones. He claims he is innocent and numerous documentaries have aired questioning his guilt. Why do some people think he is innocent? How do the media remain respectful of Jodi's family when reporting on these matters? And how might prison be for Luke, since he doesn't accept he committed this crime? I speak with Naomi Channell, a TV producer and independent true crime podcaster, about her deep-dive into this case on her podcast.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Roughly 20,000 children in Scotland experience parental imprisonment each year. But what unique challenges do families of imprisoned individuals face? How do they navigate the emotional and practical realities of life during the Christmas season? I chat with Professor Nancy Loucks OBE, Chief Executive of Families Outside, to explore how the impact of imprisonment extends far beyond the individual behind bars and affects the lives of those left outside.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, USA, was one of the most famous prisons in the world. How did the prison function in the 19th century and beyond? And how was Christmas celebrated there throughout the centuries? We chat to Damon McCool, the Senior Manager of Programme Development there now that the prison is a tourist site, to find out.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Anne Okkels Birk grew up on the grounds of a prison in Denmark as her dad was a prison governor. She went on to work for the prison service and is now a criminologist. She shares what this experience was like growing up, some of the challenges Danish prisons face, why sending prisoners to Kosovo isn't a good idea and lessons we can learn from the Holocaust and other genocides.
Evolving Prisons links
Website: evolvingprisons.com
Instagram: @evolvingprisons
LinkedIn: kaigancarrie
Email me: evolvingprisons@outlook.com
Photo Credit for Anne's picture in the cover art: Bent Dahl Jensen, Café Exit
